Victim in DUI hit-and-run chases suspect

LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - Around 7:20 Tuesday night, a call comes into Laurel County Sheriff's Office, where a man says he was sideswiped but the another driver who kept going. The victim, still on the phone with 9-1-1 wasn't about to let the suspect get away.

"The victim actually followed the suspect almost 16 miles until our deputies could catch up to the vehicle," said Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, of the Laurel County Sheriff's Office.

The first crash was reported on US 25E, south of London, but when the suspected drunk driver kept going, the chase was on.

Down the road the victim followed a gray Ford Pickup, tailing him the whole way to Kentucky 192, nearly 10 miles from the spot of the crash. Then the driver hooked a left.

"He (the suspect) actually took a lot of side roads and country roads, he didn't take a direct route. He thought he was heading towards Somerset," explained Deputy Acciardo.

Heading west through some very busy parts of South London and past the hospital, the suspect and victim continued on West Laurel Road in a 40 mile-per-hour chase.

"When deputies got behind him he was all over the road," described Deputy Acciardo, adding that by the time deputies got the suspect to stop, he simply parked his truck in the middle of the road.

"He was very under the influence."

Deputies say Bobby Morgan was behind the wheel, and they say they had to get him off the road as quickly as possible and it would not have happened without the victim's help.

"It was really important to us because as bad under the influence as he was, he probably would've been involved in another serious accident or maybe hit and killed someone," said Deputy Acciardo.

As it turned out, Morgan already had his license suspended for a previous DUI. Along with that charge, Morgan was arrested for operating a motor vehicle under the influence, possession of an open alcoholic beverage in a motor vehicle, and leaving the scene of an accident.

Deputies say they are still waiting the results of Morgan's blood work to determine how intoxicated the 59-year-old man was.

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